1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in particular to apparatus in a photographic camera for detecting that a camera user's finger (or other portion of the user's hand) may be in front of a taking lens or a built-in flash unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As photographic cameras get smaller in size, it becomes more likely that a camera user may inadvertently position a finger in front of the taking lens or a built-in flash unit before the user depresses the shutter release button to take a picture. Should the user take a picture with a finger over the taking lens or the flash unit, the picture will of course be ruined.
Various designs have been proposed for preventing the camera user from positioning a finger in front of the taking lens. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,470, issued Sep. 12, 1989, suggests surrounding a lens opening in the front face of the camera body with a large number of small projections which, when touched, alert the camera user that at least one of his or her fingers may be positioned over the taking lens.
Another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,054, issued Oct. 15, 1985, suggests surrounding a lens opening in the front face of the camera body with a pressure-sensitive plate which, when touched, is slightly tilted to energize a warning lamp. The energized lamp alerts the camera user that at least one of his or her fingers may be positioned over the taking lens.